Latest news with #Bill96
Montreal Gazette
4 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Libman: No vacation from language law excesses in Quebec
Even during the political dog days of summer, we can't seem to escape the absurdity and frustration caused by Quebec language law excesses. Every few weeks something else provokes a head slap. This week we learned about a barbershop owner in St-Léonard who — six months after opening his local business — started being hounded by Quebec's French-language watchdog (OQLF) regarding everything from his store signage to his online presence — informed, as the owner put it, that he was being 'too loud on Instagram with my English.' Earlier this month, we discovered that LaSalle College, a bilingual institution, is being fined $30 million by the CAQ government for enrolling too many students in its English-language programs, exceeding a cap established by Bill 96 aimed at public CEGEPs and subsidized private colleges like LaSalle. The school says international students, who make up about 70 per cent of those enrolled in English-language Attestation of College Studies, where the government claims it exceeded its cap, are entirely self-funded through tuition fees, with no subsidies from the government. This excessive aspect of Bill 96 is another counterproductive and short-sighted example of Quebec shooting itself in the foot. LaSalle College offers pre-university and technical programs, teaching various trades, skills and vocational training — essentially feeding our labour force, which is in desperate need of nourishment. Last month, the onerous new rules and regulations in Bill 96 regarding signage and packaging came into effect. The bill, adopted in 2022, allowed a three-year implementation window — but the regulations were published only last summer — forcing merchants to wait, then scramble to comply. Stores with trademark names, such as Canadian Tire, Footlocker and Best Buy, or any business with another language in its name, must change their signage to include a translation or a generic description in French on storefronts, occupying at least two-thirds of the area devoted to text. Municipalities have provisions in their zoning bylaws that often limit the size and scope of signage. The costs and inconveniences caused by these overzealous rules represent an infuriating impediment, among others, for many businesses. These new signage regulations also conjure up satirical images of language inspectors in trench coats showing up with tape measures, analyzing proportions and dimensions of a sign. With Bill 96, it takes only one complaint, even anonymous, to launch an investigation that could lead to hefty fines. The new rules on packaging could severely impact trademarked collectibles or specialty items made only in other countries, such as guitar strings or other music supplies, that can no longer be sold here if not labelled in French. Merchants will either go through hoops to do their own labelling — likely passing the price on to consumers — or be unable to provide certain items and take a hit, as customers turn to Amazon. We can expect the OQLF will send out secret shoppers to sniff out scofflaws. In France, the 1994 Toubon Law made French the official language, imposing its use in various contexts, including official communications, commercial contracts and advertising. However, that law is more accommodating, with exceptions for trademarks and in recognizing the importance of regional languages and linguistic diversity. Quebec's excesses make for embarrassing headlines abroad as with Pastagate, Bonjour-Hi and the Go Habs Go fiasco. There was a 60 Minutes report in 1998 that sardonically followed a language inspector on the job. Incidents that shine light on Quebec as an object of ridicule are inevitable when laws contain elements of intolerance, with regulations that go too far. They not only harm our province's image, economy and attractiveness, but they also caricature — and thereby undermine — the importance of protecting French itself. It's time to rethink language excesses, including the OQLF itself, unless we want one notable trademark sign to exemplify our province — Banana Republic.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Following Lasalle College fine, English groups protest Bill 96
A small crowd called for Bill 96 to be thrown out at Dorchester Square downtown Thursday. (Matt Grillo/CTV) A small but determined crowd called for Bill 96 to be thrown out in a protest held at Dorchester Square downtown Thursday. They say the law is a nail in the coffin for the English-speaking community. 'Even though some politicians choose to ignore it and erase it, we do have a history here and we have every right to be here,' said Cynthia Costigan, who attended the protest. 'We're not leaving and we're going to fight. We're staying.' They worry that educational institutions are being unfairly targeted. 'We shouldn't be the scapegoats because French is in decline. That's not how to save a language, that's how to destroy a language,' Dale Webber, from the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, said. They point to the $30 million fine Lasalle College is facing for enrolling too many students in its English language programs over the past two academic years. 'There are so many Francophone students in LaSalle College that are going to be harmed too, if the school closes because of this $30 million fine,' Costigan said. Lasalle College is contesting the fine in Quebec Superior Court. In a statement, the office of Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry said proceedings are ongoing. 'Despite support and several warnings, Lasalle is the only subsidized private college to continue defying the Charter of the French Language and failing to comply with it, for the second year running. As the matter is before the courts, we won't comment further,' it said. Steve Theberge came from Quebec City to join Thursday's protest and believes several articles of Bill 96 should be invalidated. 'I think it's more that the people are waking up and the world is becoming more and more bilingual. That's where the issue is,' he said. Even though it was a small crowd, the protesters say they will continue fighting for anglophone rights.
Montreal Gazette
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: Rich list, $10M handbag sad reminders of inequalities
The big headline on the front page of last Saturday's paper screamed: QUEBEC RICH LIST. Another article published that day was about an original Birkin handbag that sold for US$10 million at auction at Sotheby's in Paris. What happened to the adage 'sharing the wealth'? The other side of the story is homelessness and poverty. I feel sad about this imbalance. Eleanor Arless, Pointe-Claire Look beyond LaSalle College Whatever the details in the conflict between LaSalle College and the Quebec government, the main source of the issue must not be overlooked — Bill 96, which caps the number of students allowed to enrol in English programs in public and private colleges. Were it not for this law that targets English institutions of higher learning, this contentious situation involving a college founded in 1959 and a government bent on exacting severe punishment in the form of exorbitant fines that threatens the school's existence would not have occurred. LaSalle College thrives and survives with the presence of international students and provides jobs for hundreds of teachers. Not only is it lamentable that this battle must now be fought in court, but it is deplorable that the government will fight it on the basis of a law that, in my view, is morally offensive. How many English-speaking students are too many? What will it take to calm the anxieties of the CAQ government over 'too much English' being heard on downtown streets? The courts may sort out the details of this specific conflict, but it is Bill 96's discriminatory targeting of English-language institutions that needs amending. Goldie Olszynko, Mile End CAQ's attacks on education I'm appealing to the Quebec government to stop its unwelcome policies that serve to minimize the value of education in our province — from the $570 million in cuts to education announced last month to the $30 million penalty that LaSalle College now faces over English-language enrolment. As concerned citizens, we remind our government representatives that their duty is to foster all possible means to encourage our youth and help them prepare their future through education. Vivianne M. Silver, Côte-St-Luc A prescription for health care Re: ' What does excellence look like in health care? ' (Opinion, July 11) A thank you to Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg for explaining with great clarity what our health care system should strive for and what it must avoid. 'In health care,' he notes, 'excellence begins with putting the patient at the centre.' Are Health Minister Christian Dubé and his team listening and taking note? Ruth Khazzam, Westmount Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Montreal Gazette
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Hanes: LaSalle College is the latest scapegoat in Legault's misguided language strategy
The quota limiting the number of students at English CEGEPs and colleges that was embedded in Bill 96, Quebec's law to protect French, was always a ticking time bomb. Rather than restrict access to francophones and allophones altogether, as some language hawks have long advocated, the government of Premier François Legault instead came up with a complicated formula to hold enrolment at English institutions to 17.5 per cent of the entire college network. If the cap is arbitrary enough already, divvying it up among the various schools is even more capricious. For good measure, the government set another booby trap: hefty penalties for any public and subsidized private colleges that exceed the benchmark. Oh, and if the enrolment numbers ever dip, the proportion allotted to English CEGEPs can never ever bob back up, according to the law. The sole purpose of these measures seems to be to limit the vitality of English institutions by backhanded means, since (last we checked) their doors are still open to all and they manage to appeal to graduates of English and French schools alike, much to the chagrin of language hardliners. So a sword of Damocles has been dangling over English CEGEPs and colleges ever since the law was adopted in 2022. It has made many administrators nervous as they recalibrated their admissions processes to abide by the cap while also overhauling their course offerings to ensure the francophone and allophone students they admit meet the same language requirements as graduates of French institutions. Now, the blade has finally fallen and it has struck a heavy blow against LaSalle College. The subsidized private college has been penalized $30 million for exceeding the quota of English-program students in each of the last two years. The government is trying to recoup $8.78 million from the college for going over the benchmark of 716 students for 2023-24 and $21.1 million for being 1,066 students over the quota in 2024-25. However, LaSalle says the majority of its English-program students are international enrolments, who pay their full ride and receive no subsidy from the government. Yet, the money the government is clawing back from the college funds the education of Quebec students, both French and English. There has been a lot of finger-wagging portraying LaSalle as an unrepentant language scofflaw that ought to have known better. On X, Higher Eduction Minister Pascale Déry lamented that LaSalle is the only college to contravene Bill 96 in this manner. Minister of the French Language Jean-François Roberge piled on, commenting that 'no one is above the law.' But as LaSalle College president and CEO Claude Marchand explained, the international students for which the school is being sanctioned had already been accepted or were in the middle of their programs when the government (belatedly) set the quota. LaSalle couldn't very well renege on their offers or kick people out of their courses (or at least it had the integrity not to). So its administration asked for a grace period to implement the cap. On top of that, LaSalle said the Quebec government approved the study permits of the international students attending. Given that most programs last two years, the college said it will be in compliance with Bill 96 by the 2025-26 school year. No matter. The Legault government has decided to make an example of LaSalle, as if the college is doing a dastardly deed by educating 5,000 students for careers in fields such as early childhood education, managing seniors' residences or accounting — yes, some of them in English — and honouring the commitments it made to international students, who registered at the college in good faith in pursuit of their hopes and dreams. Of course, its real crime was to try to reason with a government that concocted a punitive, political and discretionary quota system designed for the sole purpose of putting the squeeze on English institutions. But the practical consequences of this language crackdown could be severe. The hefty fine puts the future of LaSalle College, founded in 1959, at risk. If Marchand thought the government wouldn't dare let a valuable and established educational institution that employs 700 people go down the drain, perhaps he hasn't been paying attention. The Association des collèges privés du Québec has put out a statement in support of LaSalle. While recognizing the importance of protecting French, it said it has always had serious qualms about the penalties for missing the quota. It called for negotiations to reach a 'reasonable, fair and realistic solution' and 'avoid irreversible consequences' for the flagship college. You think that would be a no brainer — the first recourse, in fact. Alas, there are two things that are completely dispensable to the Legault government: the stability of English institutions and the fate of temporary immigrants, including promising and hard-working international students. This government has attempted to abolish English school boards and raised tuition for out-of-province university students, purportedly to prevent the anglicization of Montreal, a move that disproportionately hurts English academic institutions. LaSalle is contesting the fine in court — and could well be vindicated. But that may not even matter. English school boards have won two resounding legal victories, before Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal, defending their constitutional rights over Bill 40. Yet, the Legault government is nevertheless appealing the judgements to the Supreme Court of Canada. McGill and Concordia also won a reprieve from the out-of-province tuition policy in court, but Déry's office has said Quebec still intends to collect the higher fees, even if the government won't appeal the ruling that called the hikes 'unreasonable.' The contempt is stunning — but the antagonism of English institutions is only compounded by the Legault government's disregard for immigration, which the premier once characterized as 'suicidal' for Quebec's language and culture if increased. In recent months, the Quebec government has scaled back many programs for both temporary and permanent immigrants as it drastically slashes the number of newcomers it plans to accept. Last fall, the government froze the Programme regulier des travailleurs qualifiés and the Programme de l'expérience Québécoise, two tried and true pathways to permanent residency. The latter was especially popular with international students who enrolled at Quebec colleges and universities, gaining valuable academic, work and life experience that should make them a natural fit. Now, it turns out that not only have new applications been suspended, but files already in the pipeline have been put on ice, too, leaving many people in limbo. Last winter, the government reduced by 20 per cent the quota of international students it will allow to study in Quebec next year. (Memo to LaSalle College, just in case). Earlier this month, the Quebec government also put a moratorium on some new sponsorship applications for those who want to bring loved ones like spouses, parents or adult children here to live. Legault has repeatedly asked the federal government to relocate some of the asylum seekers who have been entering Quebec — a form of immigration that policies can't control and which is putting pressure on the province's social services. Quebec adopted a new law laying out how new arrivals should integrate, while Bill 96 also cuts off their access to public services in a language other than French after six months — nevermind the long waits to access language classes. Whether its quotas, caps, deadlines, fines, laws or unrealistic expectations, immigrants are being set up to fail and English institutions are tiptoeing over trip wires as part of the Legault government's Machiavellian strategy to protect the French language.
CTV News
14-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Quebec private college association calls on CAQ to reconsider $30 million fine over English students
LaSalle College, which has been fined $30 million by the Quebec government for enrolling too many students in its English-language programs, is seen in Montreal on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) The Association des collèges privés du Québec (ACPQ) is urging François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government to negotiate with LaSalle College instead of imposing nearly $30 million in fines over English-speaking students. 'It unfairly compromises the viability of colleges that play an essential role in providing access to French-language post-secondary education here in Quebec,' the ACPQ said in a statement Monday. Last week, the college confirmed it was being fined for enrolling too many students in its English-language programs over the past two academic years, saying it was accused of contravening Quebec's French Language Charter. It was amended under Bill 96 to only allow junior colleges to enroll a certain number of students in their English-language programs. The ACPQ said it is alarmed by the CAQ's move, which could threaten the college's survival. It is calling for 'a reasonable, fair and realistic solution to avoid irreversible consequences for LaSalle College and all its students.' Private colleges receive some subsidies from the government, representing about 60 per cent of the subsidy allocated to students in the public system, according to the ACPQ. 'This substantial difference reflects the significant contribution of private colleges to the efficiency of Quebec's higher education system,' it said. The college association said it 'commends the government's stated commitment to protecting and promoting the French language,' and stressed that institutions like LaSalle College provide higher education in French. The ACPQ participated in Bill 96 consultations in May 2023 and recommended a gradual implementation of new measures as it was worried about the fairness of the government's proposed penalty system. 'However, we regret that the draft regulation concerning subsidy reductions unfairly and disproportionately targets many subsidized private colleges, which will jeopardize their sustainability,' the ACPQ said. 'In this context, the uniform application of a cutback, without regard to the structural differences between the public and subsidized private systems, is not only unjustified but counterproductive.' CTV News reached out to the French-Language Ministry for comment but did not hear back at the time of publication. The ACPQ is demanding that the government quickly put in place a negotiated transition plan based on 'justice, fairness and realism' and to treat LaSalle College 'in line with its historical and current contribution to the promotion of the French language and higher education in Quebec' and avoid the closure of a major institution. 'The ACPQ therefore calls for a reasonable, fair and realistic solution to avoid irreversible consequences for LaSalle College and all its students,' it said. With files from CTV News Montreal's Rachel Lau
